“The outrage sweepstakes, where politicians, pundits, and social media posters all compete to see who can be the most livid, sweeps aside meaningful analysis and productive dialogue.”
Kathy Griffin has dominated headlines, perhaps for the first time ever, as she appeared in a photo shoot holding the severed and bloody head of Donald Trump as a prop. Predictably this has prompted a furious push back from radio talk show hosts, right wing media, and conservatives across the country.
But I happen to think the Kathy Griffin meant to dominate headlines by this shocking behavior and the hyperventilating conservatives are playing right into her hand. On top of that, the outrage underscores dangerous trends that undermine productive discourse.
CNN revealed on Wednesday that they have fired her. She has been hosting their News Year’s Eve celebration for the last ten years, but I don’t think anybody knew that until she was fired from it. I can’t recall a single television show or movie that she has been in except for a minor supporting character in a sitcom starring Brooke Shields from 20 years ago. I imagine I’m not the only one that can’t recall most of her lackluster career. As a D-lister celebrity receiving wall to wall coverage she must realize that this is a publicity coup for her.
She would never appeal to conservatives with her unfunny brand of left wing insult humor. Still, Maxine Waters who regularly calls for impeachment, or the ranting tweets of “Pocahontas” Elizabeth Warren, and Stephen Colbert’s epic and disgusting anti-Trump rant, demonstrate that being a shrill and shocking Trump opponent can be a smart career move. Despite getting fired from her CNN position I would not be surprised if Griffin parleys her newfound publicity into a lucrative gig performing for the Trump derangement crowd.
While her behavior is truly shocking and disgusting, the echo chamber of outrage that dominates the headlines only helps her career. More important than that, it shows the tendency on both sides to bottle outrage and then loudly argue as though anger is both justifying and sufficient. The outrage sweepstakes, where politicians, pundits, and social media posters all compete to see who can be the most livid, sweeps aside meaningful analysis and productive dialogue.
When thousands of people start talking without speaking, and hearing without listening (as the Sound of Silence described), eventually the only alternative becomes violence. Then it becomes much more likely that each side will seek to the hold the severed heads of leaders on the other side. In contrast, I encourage everybody to unplug from the outrage machine. It’s better for your health, but it will also deny the attention this hack is seeking. Instead I hope everybody will focus more on providing calm and rational analysis of the serious issues that America faces.
